Instagram getting ready to steal yet another Snapchat feature?

Instagram users who sneakily take screenshots of stories may find that their time is up.

According to Techcrunch, Instagram is trialling software that alerts content posters whenever someone has taken a screenshot. Users now get notifications that say the next time a screenshot is taken, the poster will be notified.

The feature is very similar to an early Snapchat feature that would close the picture and alert the sender. Instagram's alerts work slightly differently. Instead of sending out a notification, anyone who screenshots will have a special symbol near their name in the "seen" list.

The feature is not yet confirmed for a worldwide roll out. In a statement sent to Techcrunch, Instagram said it was waiting to see if it improved user experience. "We are always testing ways to improve the experience on Instagram and make it easier to share any moment with the people who matter to you," the statement reads.

Facebook, the owner of Instagram, attempted to purchase Snapchat in 2013 for a reported $3bn (£2.2bn) Following the failed bid, Mark Zuckerberg set about using Instagram to undercut Snapchat's key features. In August, 2016, Zuckerberg announced that Instagram would launch "Stories" to share a series of videos or photos. It was a near carbon-copy of Snapchat Stories.

Snapchat has struggled over the past two years but a strong fourth quarter in 2017 has given shareholders reason to be optimistic. Revealed in the 2017 fourth quarter earnings report, Snapchat added nine million people. The growth rate (5.05%) was the highest it has been since the third quarter of 2016, when it was 7%.

According to TechCrunch, Snapchat managed to eclipse Facebook's daily active user (DAU) growth rate in the final quarter of 2017. Snapchat's DAU increased by 18% over the year when compared to 2016. Facebook rose by 14%.